Why Do We Need Managers Anyway?
I’ve been scratching my head lately regarding management, and what is it good for. So I’m probably going to spend some time on the subject in this here blog. Long time readers of this blog (you poor...
View ArticleArchitects Need a Pragmatic Software Development Process
I have been a non-stop software architect since 2006. During my experience, I realized that it’s really hard to perform the role of architect in an organization that doesn’t have a software development...
View ArticleHours, Velocity, Silo’d Teams, & Gantts
I’ve been having some email conversations with some project and program managers turned Scrum Masters. In general here’s how things have proceeded: Their organizations decided agile was a great idea...
View ArticleLooking For Leaders In All The Wrong Places
When I was a young developer, there was a re-org in the company. I found myself a team leader. That is the normal thing in software organizations (and I assume also in others) – you get a promotion...
View ArticleThroughput Planning – Why Project Managers Should Like Lean and Agile
Project managers in IT have a tough job. I’ve been there myself, and I have also coached a large number of project managers (PM) throughout my travels consulting for a number of organizations around...
View ArticleClient Reviews: From Waterfall to Agile
We are currently transforming a large organization with 200+ people to adopt new agile behaviors. The transformation started off with identifying 3 pilot projects to be the first adopters of agile...
View ArticleContracting in Agile – You try it
One of the key principles in Agile development is “Customer collaboration over contract negotiation” Unfortunately, that means that if you’re trying to follow Agile methods, you’re left without useful...
View ArticleHow to Improve Your Distributed Team with In-Person Meetings
Mike English and I do a great deal of work for the SME Toolkit, a project that provides resources for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME’s) in developing countries. It’s sponsored by the...
View ArticleTear Down the Walls! – Shattering Team Boundaries
One of the biggest complications in large software development projects is overcoming the boundaries between teams. When (and if) things are rolling smoothly on a project, these lines can be nearly...
View ArticleNurturing Leadership
I had an email conversation with a colleague about when you let people fail versus when you rescue them—how you nurture leadership. The context is with people who are new to management, or new to a...
View ArticleBumping Into Manager Rules
You might have met a manager on a bad manager day. Equally as frustrating is when you work for a manager who has rules about problem solving. I once worked for a manager who proudly said to me, “Don’t...
View ArticleFragmented projects and overcommitted people
In 2010 I wrote two articles on Burn-Out and exhaustion in software teams. Since then there were more and more articles of this kind printed in the major german press. Psychologists warn companies and...
View Article5 Techniques to Get the Most Out of Your Software Team
Congrats! You have identified a high-performing, top-notch software development team to design and build your product. (If you are still looking for a team read this.) Want to know how to get the most...
View ArticleThe Three Layers of Management
We’ve always made project management an important and inseparable part of our development and design services. When Atomic Object was younger, we would tend to focus on the technical aspects of project...
View ArticleTelecommuting, Hoteling, and Managing Product Development
There are two sides of this conversation about telecommuting: the employee side and the management side. I hope you stick around for both sides. You can yell at me at the end. Employees: You Owe the...
View ArticleAgile Product Planning: Vision, Strategy, and Tactics
Product planning is just as important in an agile context as it is in a traditional setting. Unfortunately, some product owners focus so much on the product details and the tactical level that other...
View ArticleTo estimate or not to estimate, that is the question
Disparaging those who provide software estimates seems to be a growing sport. At conferences, in blogs and the twitter-verse it seems open season for anyone who dares to suggest a software team should...
View Article7 Ways to Reduce Developer Friction on Embedded Projects
If you want something to get done, make it easy. On of the first things I do on any new project is work out what I need to do to reduce my own friction when performing any given task. What is developer...
View ArticleIs Offshoring Less Expensive? Exposing Another Management Myth
I was in the midst of an assessment when the CIO came to me, and shut the door. “I have a serious question for you.” I nodded for him to continue. I put aside my papers to show him I was providing him...
View ArticleWhat is the Future of Work?
I just read Scott Berkun’s The Year Without Pants: WordPress.com and the Future of Work. For me, it was a mixed read. Yes, you can make a totally distributed team work. What you need to do:...
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